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Fundamentals of nuclear pharmacy. By G B Saha, pp. xvii+383, 2004 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York) £57.50 ISBN 0-387-40360-4

This volume is the fifth edition of a very popular text on Radiopharmacy. The author packs a lot of very useful basic information into 383 pages, starting at the atom and progressing through to adverse reactions. I particularly liked the chapter on radioactive decay which was enhanced by several worked problems and calculations.

All the chapters are well augmented by a list of references and suggested books for further reading. Each chapter is also concluded by a number of questions based on the material covered. The answers to questions involving calculations are given at the end of the book.

Apart from the chapters covering radioactivity, radiation detectors, production of radionuclides, generators, radiopharmaceuticals and radiolabelling. This is a comprehensive chapter describing radiopharmaceuticals currently in use, including PET radiopharmaceuticals. Practical aspects such as the operation of a radiopharmacy and quality control are covered, though there is only a very brief mention of the equipment required for maintaining sterility such as laminar flow workstations and isolators.

There is an expanded chapter on internal radiation dosimetry in this new edition. The chapter on regulation is, of course, focused upon US law, however there is an additional page or two briefly reviewing European requirements.

A good range of imaging and non-imaging tests are described, including the "in vitro" application radioimmunoassay and "in vitro" tests such as red blood cell survival.

This comprehensive text also manages to cover therapeutic applications, including relatively new agents such as Zevalin, and to survey molecular imaging.

Overall the book gives a good and comprehensive coverage of the topic with the exception that the European based reader would need to supplement study with references on Good Manufacturing Practice and European Legislation.

I would recommend it both to newcomers to the topic who wish to gain a rapid grasp of the issues and also to practitioners who require a good reference volume.

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